Fringe musicals reviews: Unheard Voices, Unbroken Spirits | The Real Kyle McCarren

Unheard Voices, Unbroken Spirits | TAME

Unheard Voices, Unbroken Spirits ★★★★

Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose (Venue 24) until 31 August

Of all the problems with the care system for children and young people, one of the most damaging is that young people don’t feel heard. It’s clear in National Theatre of Scotland’s One Hundred Voices, on the same subject, and it’s sharply, painfully clear in this musical, created and performed by care-experienced young people.

Both projects seek to address this: One Hundred Voices with recorded stories, and this show by inviting care-experienced young people to tell a story about people like themselves on stage. Director and composer Talia Maysey and musical director Oskar Landley worked the writer, Lauren Boyle, who is care-experienced, and the cast - actually two casts of 12 performing on alternate days - to bring the show to the Fringe.

It’s Christmas in the residential unit, and Daisy is the most excited, the most determined to make sure all the others have a good time. Daisy is the social glue that holds the group together, but Daisy is hurting.

In the months that follow, she starts to struggle at school and feels abandoned by her closest friend. In a case meeting, which is as devastating as it is routine, a school safeguarding officer tells her she will “amount to nothing”. The ensemble cast offer glimpses into many lives: Rachel worries about her dad, who is in prison; Sienna wants to know if her siblings are safe; Matthew leaves for a flat of his own and wonders how he’ll cope.

While not every performance is perfect, that isn’t the point; many of the young people have never been on stage. The point is that the story they’re telling rings true at every turn. These talented, resilient young people, committed to supporting one another, are struggling in a system which is failing them. Their account of it is beautiful - and heart-breaking. Susan Mansfield

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The Real Kyle McCarren ★★★

Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33) until 30 August

Kyle McCarren was Andy Roninson’s best friend until he tragically died at only 21. In The Real Kyle McCarren, Roninson revives his late friend, and here he is played by his new collaborator Sean McVerry.

Upbeat yet utterly heartfelt, this musical stands as a beautiful tribute to Kyle McCarren, but refrains from setting enough stakes to become truly intriguing.

It compares itself to Tick, Tick... Boom! (Jonathan Larson’s breakthrough musical), but where Larson employs an autobiographical mode of storytelling to great effect, this method does not serve the story of The Real Kyle McCarren as acutely.

For 80 minutes, Roninson reflects on Kyle’s life and the aftermath of his death, but there is little tension in this for an audience to invest in. It is unfortunate that the musical’s concept inhibits its value, as in all other aspects it shines.

Its songs are electric, though too frequent, and Roninson and McVerry are joined by a fabulous ensemble. Sarah Coffey plays Kyle’s quietly spirited ex-girlfriend, whilst Vincent Jamal Hooper is a standout performer as his posh East London mate.

It is a measured production, and its heart is there, but it just needs re-configuring to really force you to hold those you love, a little tighter. Róisin McMullan

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